NI Water has been prosecuted following three pollution incidents at treatment works in Killinchy and Annsborough in Co Down.

The company received fines totalling £80,000; £60,000 for two incidents at Killinchy and £20,000 for one incident at Annsborough.

In a statement following the court's verdict, an NI Water spokesperson said: "NI Water accepts full responsibility for the two incidents which led to the fines today. While the extent and size of the network we operate means there is a risk of pollution incidents of this nature occurring, on the rare occasions when it does, it is a matter of the utmost regret to the company. We can, however, give assurances the company is set stringent targets by the Utility Regulator to reduce pollution incidents, and these targets have been consistently met and exceeded since 2008.

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"There are a number of learnings and actions that we can and have implemented to ensure these incidents do not reoccur.  These include investment in more robust equipment and further training of staff.

"These actions, and the investment required to implement them, are an indicator of how seriously NI Water takes pollution and the lengths we will go to, to prevent a repeat occurrence. 

"NI Water views its' responsibility to the environment with the utmost seriousness, having invested £500 million in the network over the last three years, helping make our rivers and beaches the cleanest that they have ever been.

"It should be noted NI Water treats 340 million litres of waste water every day through a network which comprises over 15,000 kilometres of pipes and more than 1,000 wastewater treatment works."

(LM)